Stolen
by Helicie
Summary: Jareth's throne, stolen? Impossible, isn't it? The only ones he can turn to for help are Sarah and her teenage brother, Toby. But that's only the beginning...
1. Chapter 1

He couldn't stop thinking of the babe. What babe? The babe with the power. The only girl who had come into his kingdom and then waltzed out. Her brother, oh that baby brother of hers. He caused so many problems even though he solved one. How could she only care for the baby when he was offering her the world in exchange for her brother? Such a simple bargain, hardly a sacrifice to her. She had no need of him; she had her toys, her precious story. He was the one who had need of him, surprisingly, he seemed to need her as well. Her name echoed through his head almost every moment.

Sarah. Sarah Williams. The brown-haired beauty who had made a careless wish only to have it come true. It was perfect. She got rid of her problem and he solved his. But no. She had to become honorable at the last minute. He had almost won too; her story saved her, those stupid lines.

_Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City. For my will is as strong as yours, and my kingdom is as great...You have no power over me._

How he wanted that power though. He hungered for it, dreamt about it. He had moved the stars for her, no one but her. He had asked for so little: Just fear, love, obey. Sarah and Toby, the perfect pair. It was strange for him to feel this way. He was the Goblin King. He should feel nothing for anyone. Yet, the girl drew him just as the boy was made to be heir to the Goblin Kingdom. Not that he was planning on dying or anything drastic like that. Oh, no. He just wanted to retire, take a rest.

Jareth, the Goblin King, was tired, oh so tired.

All his subjects feared him. This was good; it showed that they respected him, even loved him for it. Not that most would admit that to themselves. Why couldn't she have just taken his gift of crystal? Although, since she hadn't, he had gotten a chance to watch her, know her, maybe even fall in love with her. No, that was ridiculous. Jareth, the aloof Goblin King, in love with someone, a mortal human even?! Ha! He still remembered her first words to him. So childish, yet almost brave. She must have found him fascinating, yet frightening. Yet who wouldn't? He was pretty amazing, if he did say so himself.

Jareth finished his musings to fully look about him. He was sitting in his throne, above all his goblins. They were scurrying around like the little animals that they were; drinking, yelling, fighting. It bored him. That was the answer! That was why Jareth had been thinking about the girl so much. She challenged him, unlike these sniveling goblins. He craved challenge; it was too slow around here. He got up from his throne and swept up the stairs with a wave of his cloak. Perhaps it was time to visit the human world again. His Goblin City only provided so much entertainment. Before he went, however, he must be sure the gates to his Labyrinth were guarded, but who? Jareth's thoughts turned to his subjects besides his goblins. Sir Didymus was a good guard even though he did let Sarah cross the bridge in the Bog of Eternal Stench. The bridge had broken, fallen into the Bog so the fox was traveling around with his "brother" Ludo. Ludo wouldn't be a good guard at all. Sure, he was big and strong, but he was a little on the dim side for the job Jareth had in mind. That left Higgle, Hogwart… no Hoggle. That was it, Hoggle.

Hoggle was shooting down fairies from around the Labyrinth like he had the day he met Sarah.

"Hoggle." The little creature jumped, startled out of his wits from the voice which came from behind him. He whirled around to find the Goblin King leaning behind him on one of the free standing rocks.

"Oh, your Majesty," Hoggle said with a short bow. He was amazed that the King had correctly said his name. "You startled me."

"I noticed," Jareth comment drily. "Still at the fairy shooting deal I see. Care to take a break and guard the Labyrinth gate for me? Not that I expect anything to happen, but it doesn't hurt. I'll be taking a flight."

"You're going to look in on Sarah and Toby, aren't you?" Hoggle asked eagerly. "I miss her. Not that she couldn't be annoying."

Jareth just looked at him. "Thank you for that exciting tidbit from your moron mind. Of course Sarah was annoying. That's all she knew how to be. She's the one who got you stuck in the Bog for several years remember, Prince of Stench?"

Hoggle winced. "Please, sire, I beg of you. Don't send me back there. I am grateful that you decided to cut short my rulership there. Never back there, please!" He flung himself down on the ground at Jareth's feet.

The Goblin King kicked him off. "Stop that, I'm not in the mood to deal with your groveling. Just watch over the gates until I get back. Even you can do that. Do it well enough and maybe you'll get a new bracelet." He shook the wrist which still wore Sarah's plastic beads before standing straight. "Farewell, Hogwart." With those parting words, Jareth stalked off up a path.

Hoggle muttered and kicked one of the stones. "Ah," he hissed for that kick had hurt. "Call me Hogwart, he does. Name's Hoggle. Can't anyone remember a fella's name around here?" He paced in front of the gates, shooting any fairies which came near him.


	2. Chapter 2

A barn owl landed on a tree branch outside of Sarah's window, ruffling his feathers. The young woman was sitting at her childhood vanity, staring into the mirror. She still had expressive brown eyes and silky brown hair falling to her chest. Just as Jareth had stayed the same, Sarah Williams had grown into a mature beauty. She even wore clothes similar to the ones she had on that fateful night; an open-necked white shirt from her RennFest days, a vest, and jeans.

Sarah had become an actress. At the moment, she was the main lead in 'Meander's Queen'. Her hometown had been the last stop before a brief career rest period. The play's run, however, was over and she had come home for a visit. Jareth wondered if she had found the crystal he had left next to her book. Sarah had hidden almost everything connected with him away in a drawer. He had tried to do the same, only within his mind.

There was a knock on her door. Sarah turned to fact it, "Come in."

The door opened and Toby entered the room. He was fifteen, now in those gawky teenage years. His blonde hair was a little long, but his usually confused eyes begged almost like a dog. "Sarah! I've missed you!" he cried, hugging her.

Sarah laughed. "I've missed you too. I bet you only missed my stories though." She told him.

His sheepish expression admitted this. Sarah opened a drawer in her vanity. She pulled out two books: _The Labyrinth_ and a small diary. Jareth recognized the red one as the book that gave her those words. How he hated those words. Sarah handed them both to Toby.

"These should help," she said. "The red is a book I loved. The second is the story I used to tell you when you were little."

Toby's face broke into a grin. "You mean the one with Jareth and the goblins?"

Jareth almost fell off his perch. She had told Toby about him? It had been a long time since he had looked in on the Williamses.

Sarah shushed him. "Yes, Toby. But remember what I said."

"I remember. Don't say his name or make wishes. I thought it was just a good story, Sarah. It's not like Jareth is gonna randomly show up and whisk us away somewhere." Toby sighed.

Sarah noticed her stepbrother's listlessness. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"I feel as though I don't belong here," he said. "I'm ahead in all my classes and nothing's a challenge. I don't even have any friends."

"I was like that. Then I gained enough confidence to join drama," she smiled. "Just look at me now. You need a push, that's all."

Toby shrugged. "I might graduate early and I've been taking online college course. That should be enough, but it's not."

"Well, haven't we turned out to be quite the genius? I wonder how that happened."

Jareth knew what she was thinking. _Not me, Sarah. All I've done is watch over him. And you._ No matter what she though, his power was limited; not very limited, but limited nevertheless. Thinking of limits, he would have to return soon. He looked back into Sarah's room. Toby had gone and Sarah had turned back to her mirror.

She happened to glance down while shutting her drawer. She gasped, pulling the crystal out. When only her shocked eyes stared back at her from her mirror, Sarah turned in her chair. Her gaze fell to her window. As if in a trance, she went over to the window and flung it open. She stared at him with disbelief.

"Jareth?" Sarah's mouth moved, but no sound came from her throat. She held the crystal out to him. He raised his right wing in a silent greeting. They stood like this for a few moments before a tear slid down Sarah's cheek. This unnerved Jareth. He launched himself from the tree, a feather drifting down to the ground. He flew up to the moon, not looking back.

Sarah ran downstairs and out the door. She picked up the feather, watching him fly away. Twirling it in her hand, she returned to her room. She placed the feather and the crystal into her drawer. Why now after all this time? Was he here for Toby? She threw herself onto her bed. Sometimes she could believe it was all a dream she had had, then she would remember. All her friends, what were they doing now? She had lost touch while on tour, but this worried her. Not to mention, brought up suppressed emotion.


	3. Chapter 3

Jareth shuddered, standing at the entrance of his castle. He had come straight there, not bothering to walk his Labyrinth. She had seen him, touched his soul. Regaining his haughty demeanor, he pulled his owl cloak about him and entered his home. It was quiet, a rare occurrence in the goblin castle. Too caught in the swirl of his own thoughts, the Goblin King didn't notice the silence until he reached the throne room.

It was empty of the normal, wiggling mass of goblins. Even when he left his throne for another part of the castle, they stayed, drinking, fighting.

"You're him, aren't you? You're the Goblin King." He glanced up at those familiar words. They came from a young woman seated upon his throne. She rose to sink into a deep curtsey, the spitting image of Sarah. Almost. This young woman had reddish hair rather then Sarah's brown tresses.

"Who are you?" he asked, outraged she was there. There were no women in Labyrinth; Sarah had been the only one. Thos in the crystal dream he had made up. The young woman rose, brushing down her inky black skirts.

"I am your daughter, or as close as anything you'll have to one. I am your desire for this Sarah girl. You made me," she replied.

Jareth scowled. "If I made you," he said. "I can unmake you."

Making a gesture, a crystal appeared in his hand. Jareth threw it, charged with power, at his 'creation'. She merely laughed, catching it. "Your magic will not affect me. I am part of you, this I have your magic. Your throne is mine now. There is nothing you can do to reclaim it. Such a pity. Begone!" She threw out a hand and Jareth found himself thrust from his castle. He stood, brushing sand from his clothing. He was standing where Sarah had before she had started his Labyrinth.

How, how could this have happened? If she had his magic, then it shouldn't have affected him either. There was something else at work here. He had no enemies; everyone in Labyrinth was too frightened to pull a stunt like this. Sure, the Labyrinth had been doing odd things lately, but nothing this serious. He had always been able to handle it. Ever since Sarah and Toby had left, the Labyrinth was acting on its own. It was strange, but he could always bring it back under his control. Not this time it seemed. Jareth, he hated to admit it, needed help. And there was only one place he could turn for this help.

Toby sat at his desk, feet propped atop of it. He was alone in the house, basking in the silence. Much as he loved Sarah, she still had problems with Mom and Dad. This caused some interesting shouting matches since she had returned home. He turned a page, reading Sarah's neat penmanship. This was his favorite part, when Sarah and the Goblin King were dancing. It may be strange for him to like this part; it was more a girl's favorite. But it was here that the book Sarah had chosen the book him over the Goblin King.

Suddenly the huge windows in his room burst open to allow a tall figure to step in. He wore all black with a high-necked cloak around his shoulders. He reminded Toby of a lion because his brown-streaked blonde hair was wild, like a mane. "You probably don't remember me, but I remember you and your sister very well, Toby. I believe she's mentioned me once or twice."

Toby almost fell off his chair. This couldn't be happening; it was amazing. It was as if Sarah's tale had come to life right in his bedroom. The Goblin King himself stood before him, manner just as Sarah had described.

"It is an honor, sir. I never thought, oh wow!" he said. After a pause, "Sarah's gonna kill me."

The Goblin King cocked an eyebrow. "Now why would my little Sarah do that? She's more likely to try and kill me first."

Toby nodded. "That's true," he agreed. "Um, why are you here? Besides the chance to get killed by Sarah, I mean."

Jareth laughed. "You'll do, boy. Yes, you'll do. I come here, humbled, for help from you and my dear Sarah. Sarah might need some persuasion, however. She'll probably believe I deserve to have my throne stolen, but her curiosity may aid us there."

"Help?" Toby seemed excited at the prospect of an adventure. "Sarah and our parents went to a masquerade to celebrate the ending of "Meander's Queen'. They should be back soon, but in the meantime, why don't you tell me what happened?"

Sarah climbed the stairs, clutching her skirts in one hand. Her parents had gone out with another couple, but she had just wanted to go home. It was late and she was dead tired. Opening her door, she was startled to find Toby waiting for her, so startled that she didn't notice the figure standing between her window and vanity.

"Toby? Why are you still up? Is something wrong?" she asked, confused.

"I had a visitor while you were gone," he replied. "Jareth needs help, Sarah. Please don't get too upset."

"Jareth was here? I hope –"

"I'm still here, Sarah." The figure from the window interrupted her. She whirled to face him, mouth set in a firm line.

She had been beautiful then, but she was breathtaking now. It pleased him to discover her masquerade dress was a version of the ball gown he had given her. Silvery-white, the off-the-shoulder sleeves weren't as puffy, nor were the skirts, but it still suited her. Her curled brown hair was pulled back in a similar headdress. Before he could comment, however, Sarah continued, "Leave. I am not having you ruin Toby's life as well. Get Out!"

"Ruin?! I didn't ruin your life. If anything, I improved it! Everything I did, I did for you, Sarah Williams! Don't forget that," he shot back. "Time to repay the favor." Jareth strode toward her, Toby rising from his position on her bed. A hand on Toby's shoulder, Jareth reached out and pulled Sarah closed, holding her waist. She gasped, though whether from surprise or rage he couldn't tell.


	4. Chapter 4

Sarah closed her eyes the moment he touched her. It brought back memories she thought she had finally lost. Of course, he _would_ return now when her life was just coming together. A strong wind ripped through her thoughts, scattering them. She didn't open her eyes until she knew solid ground was beneath her feet again. She found herself staring into Jareth's face. He smiled slowly.

"I told you, you are no match for me, Sarah," he said softly.

"And I said you have no power over me." She pushed away from him. If she hoped those words would banish him again, it was in vain.

Toby wasn't paying much attention to the exchange between his sister and the Goblin King. He was staring down at the Labyrinth and the Goblin City. "Fantastic!" he cried in complete awe.

Jareth turned away from Sarah to smile at her brother. "Isn't it? One day, it, and its power, will belong to you," he told the boy.

"Oh, no! We are not," Sarah interjected. "Going through this again. Still we obviously cannot go home until we help you with whatever it is, so can't you just tell me what's going on already?" _And maybe I can find a cute, mortal boy to fall in love with when we get home._ She thought bitterly.

Toby looked vastly confused, but Jareth only shrugged. Sarah glanced down at her dress. "I hope," she continued with venom. "You don't mean for me to travel Labyrinth in this thing."

Toby shook himself out of his confusion. "Sorry, Sarah," he said, unzipping a pocket of the backpack he had slung over his shoulder. "Here, I brought these for you. I don't know if your dress will fit in the backpack though."

Sarah blessed the fact that she had forgone style for the comfort of her black flats and that she had a smart brother. After accepting the clothes, she simply stared at Jareth. He pouted, a surprisingly attractive pout.

"You're not going to ---"

"No!"

"Fine," he sighed. Taking off his cloak, he threw it at her.

Instead of hitting her, like she thought it would, the cloak hung in the air, forming a circular screen. Sarah breathed a sigh of relief before pulling on the jeans. She pulled off the dress and pulled on the grey tank top as quickly as possible. She had a hunch which proved to be spot on. Just as she pulled her black leather jacket on, the cloak curtain returned to Jareth. He seemed disappointed. She made a face at the ground, pretending it was him as she slipped her 

folded dress into Toby's backpack. It surprised her to find it would fold that small, but she had a feeling Jareth's magic had helped.

She faced away from the two, addressing Toby," Will you help me with my hair?" There was no reply, but she felt deft hands begin to remove the multitude of bobby pins.

Jareth knew she would be furious if she knew it was him, not Toby, but he didn't care. He ran his fingers through her hair, smoothing it out. He removed the silvery headband and stored it away in Toby's backpack. "I could straighten this out for you if you want," he said, running his fingers through a lock.

Sarah jumped, "No, thank you. It'll flatten out eventually. Anyway, shouldn't you be saving your magic or something?" She dug in her jean pocket for the hairthing she remembered leaving in there. Finding it, she used it to pull her hair away from her face in a half-ponytail. "Don't start explaining everything at one. Just save it. Obviously we can't home until we help with whatever it is," she repeated. "However, I have been on my feet since early this morning, so I'm not helping with anything until I get a chance to rest. Besides, it's late even in the Underground."

Jareth sighed inwardly. This was not going as he planned, but he supposed it could be worse. He thought for a moment before replying, "There's the Gatehouse. Higgle,"

"Hogwart,"

"Hoggle!" Toby corrected both of them.

"Right, him," Jareth continued, not caring one way or the other. "He usually makes his abode there, but he's still guarding my Labyrinth for me, so it's empty. You two could stay there."

"Where will you be?" Sarah asked in an accusatory tone.

"I will be trying to find Sir Didymus."

Sarah nodded. "Alright then. Where is this Gatehouse?"

"Follow me." The two Williamses followed him down a dirt path toward the Labyrinth. He turned and a once-hidden, small two-story house came into view.

"Thanks," Toby said, polite as always. "See you in the morning." He went inside.

"Wait," Jareth stopped Sarah in the doorway. She turned to face him, her left hand resting on the doorframe. She raised an eyebrow, not saying anything. "You said you needed all of us once," he said. "Is that still true?"

She heaved a sigh. "Perhaps it was once," Sarah said softly. "But it still holds true for certain friends. You are not one of them." She turned away from him and firmly shut the door in his face. Sarah leaned with her back against the door, hands still on the knob. She closed her eyes for a moment before she went upstairs.

There she found Toby staring out the window. He turned to face her when she entered. "Sarah," he said. "Do you hate Jareth?"

Sarah didn't really want to answer this question, but he would pester her until she did. "No," she replied. "But I don't want to talk about him. The Goblin King's probably vain enough to hang around on the off-chance that we _do_ talk about him."

_She knows me well._ Jareth thought. He had been outside the window in owl form. Hearing as she was going to be selfish and not talk about him, he might as well make his words true. He launched himself from the branch to go winging into the night.

Sarah threw her jacket over a chair before curling up on the bed. Toby lay beside her, his arms behind his head. "Toby, go to sleep. I'll figure out a way to get us out of this in the morning." Once he was sure she was asleep, he slipped off the bed. It was just an odd situation all around. Toby stood before the window again. Even the stars here were different. The light 

they gave off had a greenish tint instead of the soft, white he was used to seeing. The shapes they formed were hard to decipher. He didn't want the adventure to end with the morning.


	5. Chapter 5

"Sarah, fair Sarah," a voice called from outside that morning. "Come down from thy tower."

The young woman in question pushed open the window to sit on the ledge. Finger-combing her hair straight, she replied, "Well, we're in a happy – Sir Didymus!"

"Milady," the fox bowed, sweeping off his hat.

"I'll be down in a moment!" She disappeared from the window on to reappear in the doorway, shrugging on her jacket. "It's good to see you, Sir Didymus," she said, hugging him. "Is Ludo with you?"

"Sarah!" The large, furry brown rockcaller lumbered forward to crush her in a hug.

"I've missed you guys!"

Toby and Jareth walked up from the path. "Your Majesty," the fox greeted him.

"Sir Didymus, Ludo, I'm sure you remember Toby," Sarah said warmly.

"Surely the wee lad didn't grow to be this noble, young sir!" Sir Didymus exclaimed. Ludo added, "Toby tall."

Toby grinned. "I can't say I have to pleasure of remembering you, but it is nice to meet you," he told them.

"Now that that's over with," Jareth said. "Might we get my throne back?"

"I must say," Sir Didymus said. "I'm confused. How did thy lose thy throne in the first place?"

Jareth shrugged. "There was a woman, alright. She was just there and somehow turned my magic against me."

Sarah looked like she was suppressing a smile as she asked, "A woman?" "Yes, Sarah, a woman," he growled. "And she looked like you. If you were a pretty red-head, that is."

"Me?" Sarah sounded indignant. "Why would she look like me?"

"Probably the same reason why she was able to turn the Goblin King's magic against him." They all turned to look at Toby.

"And why is that, Sir Toby?" Sir Didymus asked.

"Well," Toby seemed a little embarrassed, but he continued his thoughts. "It sounds like this woman is a mix between Sarah and Jareth, hence her looks and power. I bet if you were to mix Sarah and Jareth's hair colors, you'd get red or at least a reddish color."

The Goblin King nodded. "That has merit to it, lad. Sarah wasn't kidding when she called you genius," he told the boy. "We should get going if you want to get home soon." He started back down the path toward his Labyrinth.

"Come, brother Ludo," the fox said. The two 'brothers' followed him.

"Are you alright, Sarah?" Toby asked for his sister was just standing there with a stricken look on her face.

"What?" She shook her head. "Yes, I'm fine. I just don't know if I like this connection. Come one, we'd better catch up to the others. I don't know about you, but I'd rather not stay here any longer then necessary."

They caught up at the entrance of the Labyrinth. "What's wrong?" Toby asked fro they were all standing in a half-circle around some statue.

"Oh, no, Hoggle!" Sarah cried, kneeling in front of the statue. "What happened?"

"He was guarding the entrance for me," Jareth explained. "She must have turned him into stone to thwart my authority."

"Well, then fix it!" She glared up at him.

"I'd like to," he replied. "But the cure for this isn't more magic. It's a kiss."

"What?"

"It's fairly common. More like a tradition really. There is no way I'm even touching that little monster though."

"We're not going to end up back in the Bog after I kiss him, right? 'Cause if we do, I swear –"

"No, not at all. I promise."

She sniffed at the thought of his promises. Then Sarah leaned forward and kissed the stone Hoggle.

"Eh, what? Oh, no! You've gone and kissed me again," were his first words. "I don't want to be the Prince of Stench again. Sarah!"

Jareth laughed while Sarah glared at him. "Hoggle," she said. "Thanks for the warm welcome." He smiled hesitantly when he saw he wasn't going to be sent back the Bog. "Sarah, I'm sorry. I – Well, I've missed you," he said sheepishly, rubbing the plastic bead bracelet around his wrist.

"Ugh," Jareth groan. "Enough with the touchy-feely stuff already. My throne, rememeber?"

Sarah sighed and rose to her feet. "Alright," she said. "Let's go get the whiny king his throne back."

"You know, there was a time when you would have been too afraid to talk to me like that," he mentioned idly. "Oh, Sarah. What am I to do with you?" She simply shook her head. "Where is the little girl who thought everything was unfair?"

"She grew up and forgot," Sarah snapped back. "Unlike certain others I could name."

"If you two love-birds are done spatting," Toby said, jokingly. "We should probably get going." Everyone else laughed. Sarah blushed, shooting her brother a look.

Jareth made no comment. He simply walked through his Labyrinth's gates with a swirl of his cloak. Everyone else trailed behind in a subdued silence. They soon fell into a line; Jareth in front followed by Toby, the "two brothers", and finally Hoggle and Sarah.

"Hoggle," the young woman said softly. "How do you put up with him? Why are you joining this quest after all he's done to you?"

The creature didn't answer for a minute, but when he did, his answer was just as soft, "Jareth may terrify everyone, but he is a fair ruler, Sarah. We don't know about this woman. Besides, if he's willing to deal with the crumbling of the powers of the Labyrinth, I say let him. I wouldn't want that on my shoulders."

"Oh, Hoggle," Jareth's voice drifted back to them. "I didn't know you cared." Sarah hadn't thought he'd be able to hear them from the back.

Jareth led them through the twists and turns of the Labyrinth. He knew this place like the back of his hand, this his only constant. But something was wrong.

"Jareth," Sarah's voice held a slightly trembling note as she came toward him. If he hadn't been listening for it, he never would have caught it. "We've passed by this rock at least three times by now. Face it, we're lost!"

"We can't be," he roared, whirling to face her. "Damn it, Sarah, I know this place. This shouldn't be happening. Not to me, not to me!"

Suddenly Ludo's enraged scream ripped through the air. By the time anyone reacted, he and Sir Didymus had disappeared, been swallowed by the stone floor.

"Oh, God," Sarah's voice broke. "Where did they go?"

Jareth shook his head. "She's probably taken them. We have to finish the Labyrinth for there to be any hope of finding them again. Come on."

The remaining four hurried to the castle with a new sense of urgency. As they passed through a garden section, Hoggle was the next to disappear. He was dragged into the bushes lining the pathway by verdant, leafy fingers.

"Hoggle!" Both Toby and Jareth had to hold her back from rushing after him. "Let me go! I have to help him."

"Sarah, Sarah!" Jareth forced her around to face him. "The only way to help him is to make it through; get my throne back. He can take care of himself for that long." She wrenched herself away from him and stalked down a branch of the Labyrinth.


	6. Chapter 6

They traveled in three different silences; Sarah's of rage, Jareth's of annoyance, and Toby's of confusion. Sarah kept glancing around at the Labyrinth's walls.

"I know where we are," she said, half to herself.

"But can you get us to the center?" Toby asked.

She nodded. "If only I can find –"

"Why, 'allo again."

Sarah laughed and dropped to her knees in front of a small ledge in the wall. "Well, hello to you too," she said seeming to address the wall.

"Changed your mind about a cup of tea with the missus?"

She shook her head. Toby leaned in next to her and found she was talking to a small, blue worm wearing a red scarf. "No, thank you. I need to get to the castle in the center of the Labyrinth. Can you give me directions again?"

"Castle? That be a dangerous place for someone like you."

"I know, but I must."

"Alright then. Remember that nothing is what is seems. Take the left path this time."

"That's the one you told me never to take."

"That's because it'll lead you straight to the castle."

"Thank you. Perhaps I'll be back for the tea later."

"Good luck."

Sarah rose to her feet. She glanced back at the two boys. "Shall we?" She turned and stalked off down the left path. The two exchanged a look before hurrying after her.

"Sarah, how did you –"

"I made friends. It's something you'll probably never understand, Jareth." She glanced back, and then stopped in her tracks. Jareth almost ran into her.

"Sarah?"

"Toby!" She peered down the path franticly. "Where did he go? He was just there and now – Toby! Toby!" she screamed. A tear rolled down her cheek. She didn't want to be here, not traveling this Labyrinth again. The memories, the fact that her friends where disappearing, she 

was alone with the one man she never wanted to be alone with, it was too much for her to grasp. "Not Toby too. All my friends, gone."

Jareth grabbed her wrist. She glanced at his hand in disbelief before looking him full in the face. There was something in his eyes, something she couldn't name. He pulled her into him, hand around her back and head. Sarah broke and started to sob in his arms. It was a strange feeling to hold her there. He wasn't even sure why or what he had just done. Perhaps even the haughty Goblin King had feelings. Then Sarah pushed away from him, leaving a small wet mark on his chest.

"Come on. Let's finish this," she said, wiping his eyes with her right hand. He nodded, following her down the path once more. The worm had been right. The left path led them straight to the castle at the center of the Labyrinth. It seemed like the false Queen wanted the two of them to find her. There had been no more mishaps after Toby's disappearance. It was a clear shot to the castle gates. Jareth stopped Sarah before she could continue through.

"Wait, I'm not sure if I can go in. She might only blast me out again. That was not a pleasant experience. In fact, it kind of hurt," he told her.

Sarah looked at him with a face full of rage. "So you want me to go in by myself?"

"No, I don't want that either. It, it's hard for me to admit something like this Sarah, but I don't know if I could risk losing you again. Especially not with the Labyrinth itself seeming to want us together," he returned. "But you probably can't wait to disappear from the Underground again."

"This is all your fault. Why couldn't you leave everything well enough alone?" She buried her face in her hands, turning away from him. Her voice was muffled at first, but steadily grew stronger. "There was no one after you, Jareth. Oh, they tried and I would even date some of them, but it never lasted. Eventually they stopped trying, dubbing me 'Ice Queen'. Yet the emotion I put into acting, that always amazed them. Do you know why I was good at projecting emotion? No? I was thinking of you, always you. Anger at how you scared Toby and treated me, happiness for the adventure and us dancing together, sadness that is was all over. I waited for you. I thought you'd come and whisk me away like Cinderella. I don't know why since we fought the entire time. But my fairy tale had no happy ending, or even an ending. There was no prince riding up on a white horse, no beast to transform back into a man. Just me and the memories. I lost faith. Fix that, oh Great Goblin King."

Inwardly she was horrified. She, the strong Sarah, who kept all her feelings inside her was spilling her heart out to the one person she never wanted to hear it. Maybe it was just time for her to stop running and face it.

"Sarah, Sarah, look at me." There was something in her voice which made her turn around, a catch or a plea. He had always thought she had truly disliked him at least; it was a surprise to find she felt as he did. The limits of his power showed themselves again. Since she had never wished, kept it all locked away, he couldn't fathom her desires. He always thought he'd have to ambush her, but it seems she had ambushed him. He took her face in his hands. "How you turn my world, you precious thing." Jareth kissed her full on the mouth. Sarah stared at him in disbelief before kissing him gently back.

"Maybe I was wrong," she muttered. So he did like her, maybe even love her. At least now she knew he had been suffering in the solitude just as much as she had. Not that she would ever let him know that, oh no. Their fights were too much fun to give up.

"We need to finish this first," he said, his forehead resting on hers.

She nodded. "We go in together."

Jareth held her at arms length. "However, you can't face her looking like this. You need to be equals at least, though you are far superior."

"I suppose you have a plan," she said. "You always seem to have one. Though mostly they only aggravate me to no end."

"Trust me," was all of his reply. He hugged Sarah close to him again, running his hands down her shoulders and back.

Leather transformed into deep green fabric. He spun her out. Instead of the clothing Toby had brought her, Sarah stood dressed in a gown of Jareth's own creation. The off-the-shoulder short sleeves curled like two horns on either side. The skirt fell in soft folds to the floor with a spilt down the middle, allowing cream fabric to peek through. A narrow black belt encircled her waist and a black ribbon was wrapped around her right forearm.

"Wait," Jareth said, looking her up and down. "I know!" He twirled a crystal orb around in one hand. "I offered you a crystal before once," he continued idly, like they had all the time in the world. "You turned me down. What now?" The orb shimmered and became a wreath of pale flowers. These he placed atop of Sarah's hair, freeing it to fall in a sheet to her chest.

"Don't we make a dashing couple?" she asked, sidestepping his question quite neatly.

"Too bad we don't have enough time for me to ask you to dance."

"Come on. This is the only way to make sure Toby and the others will be alright." She gathered her skirts in one hand and began to head for the castle gates. "I'd better be able to get my clothes back. That was – is my favorite jacket. You know, I think you just like seeing me dressed this way."

He flashed her a lewd grin. "Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps."


	7. Chapter 7

As the remaining two hurried for the throne room, the fallen four were just below them. Unfortunately, two of them were currently unconscious. Ludo had landed on top of his "brother", Sir Didymus. Toby had simply had the misfortune to land on his head. Consequently, he was the first to come to.

"Toby wake!" Ludo cried, causing Hoggle to lift his head from his hands.

"Not so loud, Lduo," Toby said with a wince. "Man, my head hurts like something awful."

"That's because you landed on it," Hoggle told him drily. "Where were his Majesty and Sarah when you left them?"

"Oh, ah, hmm," Toby muttered for a moment. "We had just gotten advice from a worm. To go left, not right, I think. It was something like that. Sarah had taken charge."

Hoggle chuckled. "I wish I could have seen that," he said. "Jareth must have had an interesting expression."

"They're probably half-way to the castle by now," Toby realized. "Where are we?"

"We're in the castle at the center of the Labyrinth," Sir Didymus said, groggily sitting up. "In the dungeons to be precise."

"Ludo can't call rocks down here," Hoggle told them.

"Ludo tried," Ludo added.

"Alright, give me a minute to ignore the pain. I'll figure something out," Toby said as he pressed a hand to his head.

"Ah, Toby, lad,"

"Hold on, Sir Didymus," Toby replied. He stood to investigate the pins holding the door in. "Maybe we can pry the pins out with something."

"Toby! Toby, lad," Sir Didymus tried again.

"Hold on, I said. It might work."

The fox knight took a deep breath. "Toby Williams!" he yelled.

"What?" Toby whirled around to face him, something he shortly regretted for it made him dizzy.

"Thank you," Sir Didymus said. "Now, as I tried to show thee before." He swung his tail at a section of the bars. The moment his tail hit them, the bars fell to the floor.

"How, how did you do that?!" Toby asked, shocked. "That shouldn't happen that easily. Or at all."

Hoggle followed the fox out of the cell. Toby slipped out after them. Ludo stuck his head through, but couldn't fit all the way.

"Hold on, brother Ludo," Sir Didymus told him.

Toby cast around for a key. They were usually kept by the entrance. There, there they were. He ran over, took the ring from its peg, and ran back to the others. "I found the keys. Now, which one is it?" He tried several before finding the right one. The cell door swung open to allow Ludo to join the rest of his friends. "Sir Didymus," Toby said, turning to the knight. "How did you know about those bars?"

"I was in that same cell in the bygone days of my youth. I can't quite remember what I did to deserve being put in there, but it was long ago. I'd be the first to admit that. Anyway, I set about breaking those bars meself. I did have some help. Little slip of thing, but boy, could she blow fire. Soften them enough for me to gnaw them off. By then, Jareth in all his highness came to see it. That's when he offered us jobs; me guarding the bridge and her being some trap in the Labyrinth. I didn't think they'd bother fixing them. Turns out I was right."

"Wow. How's about finding us the throne room then?" Toby asked.

Sir Didymus shook his head. "Sorry, can't help thee there. Never really been in the castle itself."

Hoggle cleared his throat. "That would be my job, young Toby," he told them. "Comes with being a guide/having to maintain the Labyrinth. Sarah and Jareth must be there by now. We can't let them confront the false Queen alone."

"Yeah, since they seem to hate each other, they might kill each other before they get to her," Toby remarked.

"It may seem that way, but it is quite the opposite. Don't feel bad about not catching it, lad. I m trained to pick up on these things," the fox contradicted him.

"It doesn't matter. Come one!" Hoggle said, leading them to a staircase.


	8. Chapter 8

"It's so quiet," Sarah commented as she glanced around the empty halls. "What happened to your goblins?"

Jareth gave a liquid shrug. "I don't rightly know," he admitted. "I've found I'm actually kind of fond of the little buggers when they're not around though."

"I hope the others really are okay."

"Stop worrying. We can find them after we get my throne back."

Sarah shook her head at him. "It's still all about you. I can't believe I'm here helping you. That bitch."

Jareth glanced at her admiringly. "Sarah, language. I think I like it though," he told her. "Of course, it's all about me. I control the Labyrinth, I control the stars. Sarah, I even hold power over you."

She glanced at him. "Jareth, I am the one thing you can not control. But wait, what about your little Queen problem?" She smirked, turning down a corridor.

"That's not fair," he snapped back, following her. "She's as much your fault as she is mine."

"I wonder what your basis for comparison is?" she mocked.

He glared at her. "That doesn't make sense. Stop trying to throw my words back at me. You can't do it. You're hopeless."

The two stopped in front of the open entrance of the throne room. The little pit was empty just as the walls were devoid of hanging goblins. In fact, the entire room was clean, a rarity Underground. Jareth suppressed his rage as he stepped over the threshold into the throne room.

"It is customary to bow when you come into the presence of the ruler," a female voice echoed in the high ceiling.

"She may look like me," Sarah said, stepping beside Jareth. "But she sure sounds like you." A shadow rose from the dark throne to be illuminated by light. "She even has your flair for the dramatic."

"I think we both gave her that." The reddish hair of the false Queen caught the light. She wore exactly what Sarah wore, except opposite. Instead of flowers, she wore a pair of black horns and her sleeves were puffed, not curved.

"It didn't take you long to go running to her, tail betwixt your legs," the false Queen taunted. "Mother, nice to finally see you. Too bad this will be our only meeting."

"Don't call me that," Sarah spat. "If what Toby says is true, it won't be hard to be ride of you."

"Ooo, watch it, Sarah. You're rhyming," Jareth told her.

Sarah glanced at him. "We don't want that," she agreed. "Shall we be rid of her, our – dare I say it – our 'daughter'?"

The false Queen folded her arms across her chest. "How?" she continued to taunt them, "You'll have to work together and we three know how much you hate that. Especially asking for help."

Jareth and Sarah exchanged another look. "I guess it depends on whom I'm asking," he said.

"She's got you pegged, lover," she told him. "But I think we've proven her wrong. She's also wrong that we have to work together." Then Sarah stepped away from Jareth and closer to the false Queen. "I'll take back what's mine now. I accept that part of you was – is -- my desire to stay here instead of leaving. Return to me and stop melding with his selfish, perverted desire."

Jareth sniffed. Just like a female to vocalize everything. But he, too, finally accepted the fact that he missed Sarah and wanted, nay, needed her badly.

The false Queen smiled. "Thank you. The war is over. The Labyrinth is completely under your control again, Jareth. You've conquered what made the Labyrinth begin to crumple into itself. Without a full understanding of yourself and control of your emotional state, the Labyrinth will react. And Sarah," she turned away from the true King to look upon the true Queen. "Hopefully you're going to get your happily ever after." The false Queen spilt into two ghostly halves. A halve arrowed toward each other them. Jareth accepted his halve with ease, used to dealing with magic. However, the moment Sarah's halve touched her, she crumpled to the stone floor.

"Sarah!" Jareth slid to her side. What was it about this girl that made him act so strange, so different?

"Sarah!" "Milady!" The rest of their wayward crew appeared on the scene. "What happened?" Toby cried, franticly looking between Sarah and Jareth.

The Goblin King didn't answer; he merely gathered his new Queen in his arms. "She's not used to magic, is all," he finally told her worried brother. "It's an aftershock. What took you so long? Where did she dump you anyway?"

"We would've been here sooner," Toby said. "But we got attacked by your goblins. They were pent up in some room She dropped us in the dungeons. We got here as fast as we could. I solved basically the entire puzzle for you earlier, what else did you want? It was the Labyrinth manifesting itself, right?"

Jareth shook his head. "I shouldn't have needed to do my own dirty work. That was the whole point of bringing you morons. Yes, it was the Labyrinth manifesting itself. Thank you ever so much for making everything better, Toby. I don't know what we would have done without you."

"He's being mean again," Hoggle said. "I think you can assume he's regained control of the Labyrinth."

"No thanks to you, I might add."

Suddenly Sarah stirred in Jareth's arms. She opened her eyes and "Hey."

"You can stand me down, but you have a great vulnerability to magic," he said staring down at her. "Strong with words, but weak when it comes to my Labyrinth. Perhaps this will prove I always have the power."

She made a face at him. "Well," Sarah said as he and Toby helped her to her feet. "That was rather anti-climatic, wasn't it?"

"What, did you want fireworks or goblins coming after you with sharp objects?" Toby asked in mock shock.

She shook her head. "Nah, been there, done that." Sarah glanced at Jareth and then looked back at Toby. "Hey, Toby? Why don't you and the guys go explore the castle? Jareth and I have some unfinished business to take care of."

Toby shrugged. "Alright. But we're not going to get attacked by goblins again, right?"

Jareth nodded. "They have problems navigating the castle. They usually stay in the throne room, but they'll probably end up staying in whatever room they were in."

Toby shrugged again and left the room. The rest of the crew trailed after him, Hoggle shooting Sarah a worried glance. Sir Didymus, on the other hand, just winked.

Jareth looked at Sarah, eyebrow raised. "Why did you send them away? I thought you didn't like to be alone in the same room as me."

She hugged him close. "Remember how I called you 'lover' in front of the false Queen? Well, you don't want me to be a liar now, do you?" She wanted contact. There was something odd about facing down the Labyrinth in the guise of a real woman. She wanted to know she was alright.

Jareth smiled slowly. "Ooo, no. I guess you being a liar now would be bad for your good girl image. Good thing I made that gown, isn't it?" A shield of black energy encircled the throne room, keeping them in and the others out. He ran his hands down her back again. The green fabric disappeared, leaving Sarah only in her bare skin.

She slid her hands under his shirt. "Your turn."


	9. Chapter 9

When the two reemerged from the throne room, Sarah wore original clothing and was pulling her slightly disheveled hair into a smooth tail. The rest of the crew crowded around them. "Did thy finish thy discussion?" Sir Didymus asked with a wink that only Jareth saw.

Sarah nodded, saying, "We've figured out how Toby's getting home."

"Wait, don't you mean 'we'?" Toby asked.

"No. I'm staying here. But it'll only be for three years, Toby. Then you'll be back for good too."

Jareth joined the conversation. "You're to be my Heir. But you can not begin to learn to control the Labyrinth until you're eighteen."

"So finish high school at a normal rate, and then, you'll be here."

"But I don't have any friends there. Come on, Sarah! Let me stay now."

"Toby, when I said I joined drama that didn't mean I had friends. I had maybe all of two friends when I was in high school. Just take fun classes. We'll visit, I promise. Though Jareth will have to be cleaned up." She glanced at him.

"Why not visit at Halloween?" Toby asked, now resigned to returning home. No argument he made would sway them from returning him. Besides, his parents would flip if he didn't show up soon. "That way Jareth can be himself."

"Ah, Halloween," Jareth smiled fondly. "The only night when my goblins can go do mischief in the open of Aboveground."

Sarah sighed. "I guess this means I'll end up in one of Jareth's creations again."

Jareth's smiled turned lewd. "But think of when we get home. How easy it'll be to –"

"Jareth!" Sarah exclaimed. "Not in front of the child. Anyway, there'll be no more of that until you marry me."

"Come on, Sarah. By the time I was his age –"

"When you were his age, dinosaurs ruled the earth."

"Well, you're not a teenager anymore if you haven't noticed."

"Low blow, oh mighty Goblin King! Never bring a lady's age into an argument. It's bound to get ugly. Besides, _I'm_ not old. Not like you anyway."

"Fine, Sarah. But then what was that in the throne room?" Jareth returned to the original topic.

"Oh, that," Sarah waved a hand. "Excess of adrenaline. Had to burn it off somehow."

Toby looked confused. "Alright, Sarah. If you say so…"

"What? I took a psych class in high school."

Toby shook his head. "Anyway. Jareth, can I talk to you for a moment?"

The Goblin King nodded and the two of them retreated to a corner. "Is something wrong Toby?" Jareth asked. "Controling the Labyrinth isn't too bad. You'll have years before you completely take over. I'm not ready to give up all my power to you just yet."

"Nah, it's nothing like that," Toby replied. "But if you and Sarah did what I think you did, not that I need to know, you'd best marry her. What I really wanted to tell you was that before you two visit, you should get her a ring."

"Ring? Why?" Jareth asked, slightly puzzled which was unusual for the Goblin King.

"It's a custom from Aboveground. It shows that the woman is, well in a word, taken."

"Hmmm, I think I might like this custom you Abovegrounders have."

"One more thing, the guy is supposed to ask the parents for permission to marry her."

"What? That's a silly custom. What kind of hold do the parents have which allows them to put these restrictions on their offspring?"

Toby shrugged. "Don't ask me. But it doesn't matter since Sarah had a huge fight with our parents and kind of got herself disowned. I'm just letting you know that there might be some unpleasantness when you two come to visit. Mom will probably ruffle her feathers and get huffy while Dad might be ok with it. He wasn't mad with her, but Mom has always been on Sarah's case from the beginning."

"Ah, I see. Toby?" Jareth looked at the younger boy with a slight smile.

"Yeah?" he answered, wondering if there was anything else he needed to tell him before he left for Aboveground.

"Do I have you permission to marry your sister?"

Toby looked at him in surprise. "If she wants you, then yes."

Sarah looked down at her old friends. "I'm sorry that we didn't have much time to catch up and talk, but I'll be around now."

Sir Didymus took Sarah's hand in one of his paws. "Milady?"

"Yes, Sir Didymus?"

"Art thou sure this is what thou wants, child?"

"Quite sure, but thank you for worrying about me," she said. She bent and gave him a kiss on the nose.

Ludo gave Sarah another bone crushing hug. "Ludo miss Sarah," he mumbled.

"Oh, Ludo," she said. "I promise, we'll see each other again soon."

The furry creature nodded. "Come on, brother." Sir Didymus said, hopping to his usual place on Ludo's massive shoulder. Sadly Ambrosius had passed away a few years ago during their travels. The two "brothers" found that Sir Didymus could travel comfortably on Lduo's shoulder. This was a perfect solution for there was no way for Sir Didymus' short stride to keep up with Ludo's long stride. "Farewell, Milady." "Bye Sarah." The two "brothers" left the castle at the center of the Labyrinth to continue their travels around the Underground.

Hoggle gently touched Sarah on the leg. "Sarah," he said. "Why are you doing this? Not that I care or anything like that. No. I, I just don't think the Goblin King's right for you."

"Oh, Hoggle." She took his hand and led him over to a staircase. She sat on the bottom step, patting the space beside her on the stone step. Hoggle sat down next to her. "Hoggle, that's very sweet of you. But Goblin King, demon, or man, he doesn't frighten me anymore. I love whom I love, no matter what name he has."

"Why does it sound like you are quoting something at me?" he asked.

Sarah laughed. "That's because I am," she answered. "_The Last Unicorn_, Peter S. Beagle. That's when the prince says that no matter what his lady, who is actually a unicorn in disguise, is called, or is for that matter, he will love her."

"Egh, unicorns are stupid, silly creatures. Not worth all the hype about them." Hoggle said dismissively.

"It's a good book, Hoggle. You should read it if you get a chance."

"Doubt that. I'll be busy with the upkeep of the Labyrinth grounds." He sounded out of sorts.

"Come on, Hoggle. Don't do this. I do love him. And you are my dearest friend. I don't want this to come between us." Sarah looked at him with a pleading expression.

Hoggle glanced down at the stone beneath his feet. He unconsciously rubbed the plastic bracelet around his wrist again. "Well, I don't like it. But maybe I can learn to live with it. So, your dearest friend, huh? That's not saying much."

Sarah smiled at him. "Come on, you know you don't mind. You know you've always got me. All those mirror conversations going to go to waste?"

Hoggle shrugged and then looked at her. "You're strange, little missy."

Jareth and Toby walked over to stand before the two of them. "Are we interrupting?" Toby asked, adjusting the black strap of his backpack.

Sarah shook her head. "No worries, little brother. I don't know how you became so polite," she teased.

He made a face at her. "Much as I hate to stop the fighting," Jareth said, seeming to enjoy interrupting Hoggle and Sarah's conversation. "Toby does need to return home. It is about mid-afternoon of the next day Aboveground."

"Oh, wait till they find out you're not home! Irene'll flip! Why she ever thought she could be a good parent, I'll never know," Sarah sighed, rising from the last stone step.

Toby laughed. "My turn to tell you know to worry, sis. They probably came home at dawn, drunk. Or at least, my mom did. I think Dad is too serious to fully let go. Doubt either of them are up yet though. It's a Saturday so no work for anyone. I left a note on my door saying I went on a walk."

Sarah shook her head. "Only you would think of that. I don't know whether to be proud of you or worried about you."

Toby shrugged. "Does it matter?" he asked. "Just remember to visit. I'm holding you to that. Halloween is next month."

"Very subtle," Sarah answered. "Jareth and I will be there. I can't wait to see the look on their faces."

Jareth glanced at the both of them. "The question is, can I handle two of you? It seems like you might gang up on me."

"Jareth, darling, we are nothing alike. And, of course, we would _never_ gang up on you."

The Goblin King simply shook his head.

"How is the young master getting home?" Hoggle asked, adding his voice to the conversation.

"The moron speaks!" Jareth said, pointing at Hoggle.

"Jareth! No wonder everyone avoids you," Sarah cried. "Hoggle is not a moron. You, however, are getting close to being a jerk. But then, you usually are."

He gave her a bow. "Thank you, my dear. I live to disappoint."

Toby laughed. "You two are perfect for each other. The visit home should be interesting indeed. I do think I should be heading home now though. Remember to visit."

Jareth placed a hand on Toby's shoulder. "Alright, say your goodbyes."

Sarah hugged him and then went back to her place on the step. "Toby, should you ever need me, or Jareth,"

"Or any of us," Hoggle jumped in.

She smiled at him. "What he said, all you have to do is call for us in a mirror and we'll be there. Trust me, it does work. You'll be fine and we'll visit at Halloween."

Toby grinned. "You'd better. See you later, Sarah, Hoggle."

Jareth winked at her and then the two of them faded from sight.

Toby raised a hand as the barn owl winged out of sight into the clouds. Jareth had been right. It was the afternoon, the sun low in the sky. The Goblin King had dropped him off right in front of his door. He fished a small key out of the front pocket of his backpack. He still had Sarah's gown and headdress. He'd leave them in her room for her. He had told her he would lock her room so Irene wouldn't try to clean it out. Once the two of them came at Halloween, she would take it all to the Underground with her.

He let himself into the house, trying not to make too much noise. Not that his parents would notice anyway. They didn't seem to notice much else besides themselves and their own affairs. Sometimes it bothered him, but now it was nice. He seemed to take after Sarah, destined to be a loner.

"Toby?" a groggy voice called from the kitchen. "Is that you?" It was the voice of Irene. She was in the kitchen, trying to wake up with a cup of coffee. Robert was actually up and working on something in his study. He was the one who had seen the note. Neither of them had been worried.

"Yeah, Mom," he said, coming into the kitchen. "Did you and Dad have a good time last night? I heard some stuff about it from Sarah." He sat on one of the kitchen stools.

"That girl," Irene shook her head and took another sip of her coffee. "Still a dreamer. I thought after college she would return and be normal. Figures. Of course she became an actress. An actress! That is not a respectable job. At least not if all she does it theater work. If she had stayed in the movies that might have been ok, but no. After one movie, she quits. Glad she's done in this town. The ball was alright. It was silly, but kind of fun. How was your walk?"

"Alright. I didn't go far, but I sat in the park for a while," he said, lying through his teeth. He was good at it though; it was almost instinctive with him. Lies came as easily as breathing. No one could tell the difference. "I'm gonna go to my room now. I have to finish some homework."

His mother just waved him off. "Yeah, ok, sure. Get everything done before you go out again." She returned to her coffee, not noticing when he left.

Toby kept his promise to Sarah, leaving her still fist-sized folded gown and headdress in her self-proclaimed 'Labyrinth' drawer. He took a look around the room. It hadn't changed much throughout the years. He turned about and locked the door behind him. He slid her room key onto the owl keychain on which he kept his house key. He had gotten it when he was little and obsessed with owls after he had started to understand Sarah's Labyrinth story.

His room wasn't much in way of decoration like posters. He had one or two owl ones, but most of his effort had gone into getting a computer. He wondered if email could work Underground. It would make communication easier then the mirror idea of Sarah's. He'd have to ask the next time he saw them.


	10. Chapter 10

A month later, Sarah turned the silver knob of the bedroom door and entered. Jareth was inside, lounging in on the of the two oversized chairs in the room. She wasn't surprised to find him there.  
"It's almost time," he said distastefully. Sarah smiled slightly at his remark. He wasn't looking forward to a trip Aboveground.

"I know," she replied. "I only have to change and then we can be on our way. I assume you've already decided my costume for me."

"That I have," he said, rising to his feet. He pulled the heavy, blue curtains hanging around the bed back. There was a white gown lying on the bed, a gown much simpler in design than many he had created for her before.

_At least this one isn't so puffy. _She thought. "White? Shouldn't that be for a younger girl?" Sarah asked with no bitterness since she was still a beauty at thirty years of age. She came closer, noting his ironic smile. "How did you know about this? That was ten years ago." She could see now that it was a replica of the gown she had worn as Jenny Blake in _The Rocketeer_.

He merely looked at her. "Sarah, I know everything there is to know. I probably know you better then you know yourself. Do I get to –"

"No." she said firmly, pointing to the door. "Besides you need to get ready too. That is not as time consuming for you as it is for me. Out."

Jareth walked to her door, turning to look at her. "Be quick. There are finishing details still come." Then he left.

She shook her head, running a finger down the white silk of the gown. It was beautiful, just as she remembered it. Compared to earlier gowns, it was simple. There were wide strap sleeves and a skirt which reached to the floor. Jareth probably liked it because it had been designed to display her cleavage during the movie. There were many tucks and darts which made it formfitting. White high heels lay at the foot of the bed and a pair of drop pearl earrings lay on top of the gown.

A few moments later, she returned to the throne room, heels in one hand. Jareth was already waiting, perched in a similar position on his throne as he had in the oversized chair. He, too, had changed into a mixture of his ballroom outfit and his black outfit. He wore black pants and tall black boots. Though he wore the embroidered blue ball jacket, he didn't wear the ruffles under it. Instead he left it open to display a high-necked black shirt. A black cloak hung from his shoulders. It seemed that the black cloak was a necessity when he went Aboveground.

"My hair has gotten too long for this outfit. It was a lot shorter when I was in that movie. What I want to know is, why this gown? Why not one of your creations?" she asked, dropping her heels to hard stone floor.

"Well," Jareth rose from his throne and began to run his fingers through her soft brown hair. "It was your first and last movie. Besides, from the tales my goblins return with, many dress according to a movie. I thought you looked beautiful, Lady Luck."

Sarah looked up at him. "No matter how many times you compliment, nothing's happening until a wedding. Get used to it."

"Oh, that reminds me," Jareth returned to his throne.

Sarah pulled on her heels, noticing that no long hair fell into her face when she bent over. She ran a hand through it only to find that it was short and curled like it had been when she was twenty years old and in _The Rocketeer_. "Jareth, this better not be permanent. It took me a while to grow my hair that long."

He shook his head as he walked back over to her. "The moment Halloween is over, your hair will return to its normal, long brown tresses. Here," he thrust a small box into her hands.

She looked up at him again, this time in surprise. "What's this?"

"It's a brand of ownership. A warning so no other may try to claim you. You are mine. The Goblin King doesn't relinquish what is his easily. Toby told me about this ring custom you Abovegrounders have."

Sarah lifted the lid of the black ring box. Inside, nestled on deep red plush, was a silver band with an oval crystal. "Jareth, it's beautiful." She slipped it onto her left ring finger and then kissed him. "But it doesn't really mean ownership, o wise Goblin King. It just means I'm taken. Trust me; it's a sign from both parties not a sign that one has a hold over the other."

"We should have a wedding soon," he said, mind elsewhere, not really hearing what she had just told him. "But you insist on seeing your parents first. Why you are even bothering with them, I'll never know. Let's get on with it, shall we?"

She linked her arm through his. "Home Jeeves," she joked at the two of them began walking off, fading from view.

Earlier that day Toby was wandering around the house, mindlessly doing any chore his mother fobbed off on him. He was used to this and as a result could send his mind somewhere else. He was curious about what Sarah's costume would be. Halloween had always been their favorite holiday when they were kids. Her costumes were constantly amazing from the time she was Wonder Woman to the medieval costume she had made herself.

Robert found Halloween enjoyable as well. He was currently mixing the multiple bags of candy together in a huge bowl. They weren't expecting many neighborhood kids since there weren't many around. However, they continually got huge amounts of candy to satisfy his and Toby's sweet tooth. Now that Toby was fifteen, Robert had given up his spot at the door to his son, but he still lurked in the background with a mask in hopes of scaring someone and grabbing candy from the bowl. Irene, on the other hand, could take it or leave it. She found the whole thing to be a waste of time, fostering imaginative ideas which she disapproved of.

"Mom!" Toby called down the stairs. "The vacuum's back in the closet. I'm going be in my room." He rushed in and locked the door before she could think of anything else for him to do. That was the only problem with having Halloween on a Saturday. Irene would just find him chores to do so his head didn't get filled with 'silly ideas'. He flopped down into his desk chair, staring at his computer screen.

"Hey, young Master Toby!" a voice cried from near his floor. He spun around in his chair, looking around wildly.

"Who said that? Sarah? If this is your idea of a joke…"

"No joke. Not yet anyway. I look nothing like our future Queen anyway. I'm down here, by your bed."

Toby looked down as the voice directed. Squatting by his bed was a short, kind of plumb goblin. He was on the older side of the goblin spectrum, from what Toby had seen anyway. He wore more sophisticated clothing then the goblins Toby had met earlier as well consisting of breeches, a skirt, and a waistcoat. "I'm Lais. His Majesty sent me to keep you company from time to time. He thought you'd need someone to help tutor you in the ways of the magic of Labyrinth. By the way, there's a package on your bed."

Toby simply looked at him, incredulous for a moment. "Alrighty then. I didn't think Jareth would care about me once I left them Underground. But how hard can being tutored in magic be?" he said as he rose from his chair. He came over to the bed and picked the package up. He turned it over in his hands, trying to find a postmark. "This also wouldn't happen to be from His Majesty, would it?"

Lais shrugged. "I wouldn't know. Magic is my only concern. I do believe you will find that magic is harder then you think it is. But we can start on that later. Halloween happens to be 

going on and there is a bottle of gin with my name on it in the next house over. It's just begging to be split. Unless the young Master has anything else?"

Toby shook his head. "Nah. Go have fun. I guess I'll just see you when you pop up randomly again."

Lais saluted him. "Yes, young Master. Fare thy well until then." The Goblin tutor disappeared in a soft puff of smoke.

Toby coughed and waved a hand in front of his face. "I think that's what they mean when they talk about brimstone." He turned the package over in his hands again. There was nothing to show who it was from, no matter which way he looked at it. "It can't be anything bad," he reasoned, sliding a finger under the taped down edge. He dumped a bundle of cloth out onto his bed.

It was a Halloween costume, one much more creative then the one he had been thinking about wearing. That had been a hastily thrown together costume of cardboard to create a robot costume. This was much more creative and well-made. It was also vaguely familiar, but Toby couldn't place where it had come from.

"Toby!" Robert called up the stairs. "Time for dinner. Then we can feast on leftover candy! Come on, son. This is the only holiday where I don't have to worry about buying presents and I plan on enjoying it."

"I'll be down in a minute!" Toby called back. He spread the costume out on the bed. After gazing at it for a moment, he shook his head and then clattered down the stairs.


	11. Chapter 11

Jareth's transport spell landed them in the park. He glanced around fondly. This is where he had first observed the young Sarah, play acting her book for a sheepdog.

"The park? Jareth, why here?" Sarah asked, obviously confused.

"Well, I couldn't just drop us on the steps of your porch. That would seem rather odd, even on Halloween. Besides, we can look at the handiwork of my goblins as we walk to your old home." He took her hand in his and began to pull her toward the street.

"Oh, Jareth!" she suddenly remember what she had wanted to talk about before they left.

"What? If you say you forgot something, I swear…"

"Don't be an idiot. I just remembered something I wanted to tell you, jeeze. Your name."

"What about my name? It is a perfectly good, nay, the perfect name. There is no better name."

"Yeah, yeah. What I mean is, it's not a normal name. Much as I like to annoy my parents, I don't want to freak them out. Your appearance will do that for me. How about changing your name to Jason for the night?"

He stopped and stared at her. "You can not be serious. Jason? What kind of a 'normal' name is that?"

"Oh, suck it up, Jareth. It's just for one night. And any other visits we make to Toby before his three years are up." Sarah looked at him with pleading eyes. "Come on."

He sighed and shook his head before continuing toward her old house. "Why can you make me do things I don't want to? Alright. I'll be Jason when I meet your parents. But don't hope for much else. And I fully expect you too make this up to me."

She smiled. "I'm sure I can think of something."

They walked the rest of the way in a comfortable silence. He'd point out an overturned pumpkin or a screaming child for her to admire the work of his goblins. Most of the time, their handiwork would make her laugh, but in the case of the screaming child, she'd shake her head. Sometimes the goblins could be too cruel for her taste. Her thoughts were mostly on how her parents would take Jareth or Jason as he'd be for tonight. Luckily they wouldn't be able to tell that this was his normal form. If they did, she had a feeling they would find a way to break them up. That is, if Irene would even care enough.

The doorbell of the Williams' had finally seemed to stop ringing. There were more kids then they had expected since some of the neighborhood kids had brought their friends. As always, there was more then enough candy, most of the bowl was still full. Irene had conceded to come downstairs to hang out with her son and husband. Normally on Halloween, she cloistered herself in their bedroom, not coming down until the next morning. This time, she decided that she might as well admire the neighborhood kids' costumes.

The doorbell rang out throughout the house. For some reason, their bell was infernally loud; it could never be ignored. Toby opened the door, candy bowl balanced on his hip. "Hey, guy—Sarah! Or maybe I should say Lady Luck."

His sister laughed. "Why, if it isn't my boyfriend, Cliff. I dare say we used the same costume shop." She shot an amused glance at Jareth. He still stood in the shadows.

Sarah's identification was correct. Toby was dressed at Cliff, hero in _The Rocketeer_. He wore white pants tucked into just below the knee length brown boots. The signature light brown leather pilot's jacket was buttoned all the way up, covering the straps of his rocket pack. Toby even had the leather gloves and the Rocketeer's helmet which he had tucked under his other arm. "Must have. Care for any candy? We have a whole bunch."

"Toby?" Robert said, approaching the door. "Who are you talking to?"

"Oh, sorry. Come on in, guys." Toby moved back to let the couple step over the threshold.

"Sarah!" Robert smiled. "I didn't expect to see you anytime soon." He had already forgiven her for whatever their fight had been about. Robert was slow to anger and quick to forgive. He could never hold a grudge. His wife, on the other hand, was a different matter. "Come into the living room. Irene is there and we can have a nice visit."

Sarah rolled her eyes. Yeah, sure it was going to be a nice visit. She did follow him into the living room though, Jareth's hand still in her's. Toby brought up the rear.

"Irene, look who showed up on our doorstep."

"Oh. Hello, Sarah," Irene said, setting her book down.

"Hullo, Irene. Dad, may I present Jason, my fiancé?" Sarah said, pulling Jareth around to face her parents. "Jason, this is my dad, Robert; my step-mother, Irene. I'm sure you remember Toby."

Toby tried not to look surprised at the changing of Jareth's name.

"Indeed I do. It is a pleasure to meet you, sir." Jareth said urbanely, shaking Robert's hand. Sarah's father pulled him toward a small table with two chairs. Sarah and Toby sat on the couch across from Irene's chair.

As Sarah tried to be civil to her step-mother with Toby as a peacekeeper, Robert began to ask Jareth questions. "Jason, I don't believe I caught your last name."

"That's because she didn't mention it. My full name is Jason King," Jareth told him, drawing his fake last name from his title. He didn't think Sarah would mind his fabrication.

"I see. A strong name. That accent, you hail from Britain, do you not?"

"Oh, um, yes. Yes I do." He couldn't well tell him he was from the Underground, now could he? It would make things easier though.

"What do you do for a living, if you don't mind me asking? It might seem like prying to you, but Sarah is my little girl. I don't want to see her marry someone who doesn't deserve her."

"Believe me, sir, I understand you completely. My work takes me out the country a lot, so this may be one of the only times we might get to introduce ourselves. I create custom-made gown and mazes. An odd combination, but I enjoy it."

Robert shook his head. "No, makes sense to me. You should do your job because you love it, not because you're being forced too."

After a few more minutes of harmless small talk, the two men rejoined the others. Sarah was staring at her hands, clenched into fists in her lap. Jareth reached over and took one, smoothing out her fingers one by one. She smiled at him briefly.

"Jason was just telling me how you two will be traveling. I hope you kids have fun." Robert sat on the arm of Irene's chair, draping his arm over her shoulders.

"We will, Dad. Thank you. I hope you don't mind if we have a simple, private ceremony. It will be hard to plan a full-fledged wedding if we're traveling as much as we think we will," Sarah told him.

"Of course not. Just send us a piece of cake," Robert replied with a wink.

"We'll be sure to, sir." It was getting to Jareth that he had to keep calling Sarah's father, 'sir'. He was the Goblin King; he shouldn't have to give anyone else respect. Except maybe Sarah. But then, she had earned it.

A tense silence followed his statement. Finally Sarah stood up. "It is getting late. Jason and I should be going."

The Williams family followed the two of them to the door. Sarah hugged her brother and gave her father a quick kiss on the cheek. Jareth shook hands with everyone again. He left the house first, glad to be out of that place. Toby followed him out, Sarah still saying good-bye to her father.

"Jar- er Jason, I guess. Thanks for the costume and for Lais' visit. I can't wait to learn what he had to teach me," Toby told him.

Jareth reached over and ruffled Toby's hair, a rare show of affection from the Goblin King. "Learn what you need and have fun. The years may fly quicker then you expect."

Toby nodded and slipped back into the house.

Irene stopped Sarah at the door. "So, you've found your prince, have you?"

"No," Sarah replied simply. "I've found something better. A king." Then she left the light of the doorway to join Jareth in the shadows. The two of them walked off.

Toby and Robert both smiled at Sarah's choice of words. Irene just huffed and stomped upstairs. Father and son sat back down in the living room to enjoy the rest of the Halloween candy.


	12. Chapter 12

Sarah flopped on her back onto her bed, still dressed in the 'Jenny Blake' costume.

"I think that went rather well," a soft voice came from the shadows near the door.

"I hate it when you do that," Sarah snapped at him. "Come where I can see you at least." She did have to admit that talking from the shadows gave his voice a theatrical air. It sent shivers down her spine.

"As you wish," came the reply from the shadows. He did one up on her, going by her feelings rather then her words. He crossed the cold, stone floor of the bedroom with an effortless grace. To Sarah's surprise, he lay on the bed with her, laying his head across her lap. She had to prop herself up on her elbows in order to see him. Neither of them spoke for a moment. They simply enjoyed the contact.

"At least Dad seemed happy to see us," Sarah finally said.

"Eh, I had to be respectful," Jareth almost spat the word. "I get respect, I don't give it. I still don't know why you bother with parents."

"Don't you have them?"

"No."

"Well, you must have had something. No one is without parents. I've seen your bellybutton, Jareth. You were born which means parents. Tell me about them."

"Aren't we just a bit too clever for our own good?"

She fixed him with a look. "I'm waiting. You know everything there is to know about me," she wheedled.

"I fail to see what that has to do with my past," Jareth was impervious to her attempt at a subtle hint. His strangely mismatched eyes held her gaze without blinking. Perhaps it was a warning. He reached an arm over his head and ran gentle fingers down her leg.

"Hey!" She moved suddenly, jolting him off her lap. "What do you think you're doing?"

Jareth gave her another attractive pout. "That's it," he said, lying next to her on the bed this time. "We're getting married. Tomorrow."

Sarah turned on her side to face him, hair still just brushing her shoulders. "But that's, well, tomorrow. Don't you think its a little short notice? A lot of preparation is usually involved in a wedding."

Jareth considered her words for a moment. "Perhaps. Three days it is then. That should give enough time for whatever it is that needs to be done."

"Because three is a magic number?"

"You could say that." Jareth ran a finger along the line of Sarah's face.

"Three days and I'll be a married woman. Very strange to think about," she commented. "But that gives you three days to tell me why you hate parents."

Jareth sighed. "Why are you stuck on this? Why do you need to know?" Though if she asked again, he would have to tell her. Since he, in a sense, granted wishes, one of the rules that applied to the Djinns applied to him as well. The rule of three. When asked something three times, he would have to answer truthfully. That was a problem with magic. No matter how powerful, it tended to spill over into different areas, controlling you. Jareth hated to be controlled.

"Come on," Sarah continued, oblivious to the Goblin King's internal musings. "It can't be that bad. I may dislike my stepmother, but I understand her, sorta. Besides, if I'm going to be your Queen, I need to know everything there is to know. I love you, the good and the bad. So, come one. Tell me why you hate parents."

And there it was. She had asked, or rather told, him to tell her about his background. Only Lais was old enough to remember his humble beginnings. Besides the Labyrinth herself, that is. But then, the Labyrinth was as old a time.

"So, you need to hear of my humble origins that badly, beloved?" he asked, giving no sign that he was going to be forced to answer.

"Darling, you are many things, but humble ain't one of them." Sarah smiled at him.

"Here it is then. I lay my tale at your feet."

"Well, you see, when I first came to the Underground, there was no king. No nothing. Jus the goblins making chaos and the raw power of the Labyrinth leaking out all over the place. I harnessed that power, but I'm getting ahead in my tale. You wanted to know the reason I hate parents, well here it is. They forgot about me. I'm like Toby, maybe that's why I want him to be my Heir. I had an older sister once upon a time. One who, like you, wished me away to the goblins. However, she didn't come to her senses and try to get me back. My parents didn't care. I was ten years old, kind of hard to miss. But miss me they did. They didn't notice I was gone. My sister didn't feel any guilt either.

So, parents, yeah I hate them. They try to hold all power over you, but, in the end, they couldn't care less about you. That was many years ago though. Now I hold all the power, all the power of the Labyrinth that is. I made this castle what it is today, I brought the goblins under my control."

"But how?" Sarah interjected.

He shot her a look. "I'm getting there. I've never told this story before, alright? I've never had to. Consider it a privilege that I am even telling you at all."

Sarah's eyes were mournful, but the smile she gave him only proved that they would make it. "Alright, I'll be quiet. And you know how hard that is for me."

"Thank you, I guess. Anyway, since I was ten when I arrived in the Underground, I didn't transform into a goblin. Instead, I changed to be able to see the power weaving around the Labyrinth. The library became my refuge after that. I met Lais there. Unlike many of my goblins, he actually uses whatever brain he has. That's why I sent him Aboveground to tutor Toby. Once he knew I could see the power, he taught me what I needed to know.

He couldn't teach me everything though. The Labyrinth would teach me the rest. Lais taught me enough to be able to communicate with the Core of the Labyrinth. She took me in, made me her son and Heir to all the power floating around. That free-floating power is only half of what the Labyrinth possesses. Because she made me her son, I think that's why she took such an active role to fix my wounded pride. And my broken heart. I'm now immortal, but I never had anyone I wanted to share it with. Until you came waltzing into my life. Now, you and I will be the immortal ones, watching over Toby and the Underground."

"So you're trying to make us gods?" Sarah asked, only slightly confused.

"Sarah, I already am a god. I am just making sure I have a goddess," he confessed. "You agreed to marry me, remember. And I got Toby's permission."

"You asked my younger, step-brother for my hand?" She shook her head. "Why am I not surprised? Yes, I did agree. Now you just have to set it all up."

"Already in the works. But, what did your father mean when he said send him a piece of cake?"


	13. Chapter 13

Jareth smoothed a lock of brown hair away from Sarah's sleeping face. She had fallen asleep soon after his story, never explaining why her father wanted them to send him a piece of cake. It was late, after all, and he didn't want to answer any questions she might have thought up once she got over the distraction he had offered. How he hated telling that story. He had never had to tell it before, at least, not to someone he loved and wanted to impress. It had been years ago, yet it could still affect him like it had been yesterday. He needed to get out of the castle at the center of the Labyrinth.

Easing the bedroom door closed behind him, Jareth headed down a corridor, his boot heels clicking on the stone floor. He let his feet decide his course for him, finding himself in one of his private, hidden rooms. He sat on the windowsill of the large window overlooking his Goblin City. He hadn't created it, the city spreading below him, but he was now responsible for all of it. That was something Sarah would need to learn, magic and the pressure it brought. Everyone thought that power and magic made everything easier, but it only complicated matters. But that lesson could wait until after the wedding. Right now, he needed a drink, needed to find a place outside the castle walls.

He didn't want the fawning attention he would receive if he went into the Goblin City as himself. That's why lady night found him walking the streets of paved stone in the old bird-man disguise he had used to waylay Sarah and Hoggle all those long years before. He pulled the ratty hat low over his eyes and left the drum behind. He wouldn't need it where he was going. Jareth pulled the blue ragged ends of the ends over his talon-hands. There was a decent pub (for a Goblin city anyway), the Dancing Firey, near the center of the Goblin City. He would go there for a drink and a place to think without repressed memories returning to haunt him. He much preferred the scathing, witty comment making king that he had become rather then the lost ten-year-old he had been.

He burst through the pub's swinging wooden doors, akin to a villain entering a tavern in a Western. Here, however, no one turned to look at him in shock. The patrons were used to dramatic entrances; it seemed to be a standard of living for them Underground. Jareth took a moment to survey the other patrons of the Dancing Firey. To his surprise, Sarah's old fan club was sitting at a table near the back of the pub. It would amuse him to find out what that crowd thought of the recent events. It would get his mind off the tale he had been forced to tell earlier.

Before sitting at a small table close to them, he snagged a drink from the short, goblin barkeep. Jareth was equally surprised that Sir Didymus was back in the Goblin City already. Dog-foxes were notorious wanderers; it ran in their blood. Rather like Gypsies in that way. That was how he had learned the layout of his newfound underground kingdom so quickly. The Dog-foxes would report their findings on their travels to him. He was able to create maps from they told him. In fact, he had merely gotten Sir Didymus to stay at the bridge in the Bog for so long because he had charged him with guarding it. Honor was the only thing Dog-foxes valued over their wanderlust. They were silly little creatures. It was amazing that they had survived as long as they had in the Underground.

"Can we be sure that this is what she really wants?" Hoggle was saying when Jareth lent his ears to the conversation. "I mean, what if he's just messed around with her head again? Not that I don't want her to stay. I just wish there was a better way then to have her marry him."

It was quite simple to figure out who the "she" and "he" were in the context of Hoggle's words. He wasn't surprised that Hoggle had these—reservations. Perhaps he would merit a punishment, and perhaps not.

"She told me that she was sure," Sir Didymus told Hoggle. "If there is one thing a woman completely understands, it is the affair of her heart. Thee need to give the king a chance. He was not horrible, or at least, not as horrible as he could have been to her. Can thee fault her for falling for him? I know what thy art thinking, but I tell thee now that it is a foolish hope. Thy will never compare in her mind. We all wish that she hath found someone more in line with our hopes for her, but we can not make her choices for her. It would be the knightly thing to do to follow her wishes."

This did surprise Jareth. He didn't expect that Sir Didymus would be on his side. Or at least, wasn't completely against him like Hoggle was. It amused him that Hoggle still held out some hope that Sarah would fall for him instead. Talk about Beauty and the Beast, or maybe the Frog. Did he want to become a prince again? Jareth could arrange it, but he didn't think Hoggle would appreciate the realm he had in mind.

"Ludo confused," the big, furry creature moaned. "Sarah stay, but that bad? Ludo no want Sarah to leave. Ludo missed Sarah."

Once again the big lug had nothing of importance to say. Jareth shook his bird-man head, beak waving in front of his eyes. He drowned the rest of his drink and slammed his glass down on the table in front of him. It hadn't been very amusing. If anything, it had only infuriated him. So, two of the three didn't think he was good enough for his love. This merited punishment. Yes, he remembered that he was unsure whether Hoggle deserved any for his earlier speech, but now he knew he did. Jareth would have to muse over it before he could devise a malicious enough punishment.

He stood up, almost knocking his chair over on to the floor. He glanced behind him at the table once. Sir Didymus caught his eye, touching a paw to his dark blue velvet hat. Jareth's eyes widened, but he didn't stay to have the Dog-fox call him out. He strode out of the pub, heading straight for his castle at the center of the Labyrinth. Jareth didn't how that miserable wretch had recognized him. But recognize him the Dog-fox had. The Goblin King returned his domain and his sleeping beauty.


	14. Chapter 14

Sarah paced the corridor in front of Jareth's closed door. At least, this was the only door of his that she knew about. He probably had several little rooms stashed about the castle in the center of the Labyrinth, but she could only fathom their whereabouts. She wasn't upset that he wasn't including her in the wedding plans that he was making. In fact, she could care less about working on the wedding. Unlike other girls she knew, she hadn't had her own wedding planned by the time she was thirteen. She had spent her afternoons acting out scenes from her favorite book of the moment or random plays.

No, it was the fact that the Goblin King was spending all his time cloistered in some room or another planning a wedding to take place tomorrow. Jareth may be stubborn, manipulative, sarcastic, attractive as sin, and a million other things, but a wedding planner? Granted, he had included her by asking her the most random questions, the foremost being about her father and wedding cake. However, as she had understood it, goblins did not have weddings. Seeing as there seemed to be seldom any females around the place, goblin marriages were rare.

Not that Sarah knew all of Underground by any means. She had spent the last few days while Jareth had been occupied with the wedding learning the paths of the Labyrinth by heart. The Goblin King could come and go as he pleased without having to ask directions. The Queen, or soon to be Queen, should be able to do the same. The Labyrinth wasn't all there was to the Underground. She planned on learning her way around most of the Underground, as much as she could anyway. But she still had to get the paths of the Labyrinth down first. She was digressing within her own thoughts.

A goblin marriage consisted of the pair going before the Goblin King and simply asking for his permission. He'd usually agree, sending them to some other goblin to get it registered. Then, they'd just go home. Sometimes the couple would have a party, but that was their own affair. The only consideration Jareth was giving to this usual custom was to have a public ball in the castle at the center of the Labyrinth after the private ceremony.

This, this was getting out of hand though. Sarah was lonely. Her three best friends were avoiding the castle. She had been going to double-check with Jareth that it would be alright to bring Toby Underground for the wedding, but she didn't care anymore. If he was going to ignore her in favor of this wedding, which was rather obtuse of him, then she was going to do what she pleased. With these thoughts of slight rebellion foremost in her mind, she spun away from his closed door to stalk down the empty hallways to her own room.

Unlike the mirrors Aboveground, this mirror needed no special words or 'spells' to help it connect her to Toby's mirror. It was her luck that he was in his bedroom, though his back was turned to her. "Hey, little brother!"

She had the pleasure of seeing him jump out of his skin. "Sarah! Don't do that to me. It's bad enough that you made me put a mirror up in my room," he said, whirling around to face her in the mirror. "But you don't have to scare me almost every time you decide to talk to me. I still think the Underground getting an email connection would be better. Mom gives me a hard time about enough stuff as it is; the mirror almost pushed her over the edge. So. What do you want?"

"What? I can't just call because I want to talk to you?"

"You've never called for just that before. Do you and Jareth get into a huge fight or something?"

"No, nothing like that. But, you're not going to believe this," she shook her head before running a hand through her once-again long hair. "I'm getting married tomorrow. Me, married, 

tomorrow. It's just a little strange to be thinking about. Especially since Jareth's been planning every thing."

"Wait a minute," Toby raised an eyebrow. "Jareth, Goblin King, Jareth, has been planning the wedding. Which is tomorrow. Wow. That's not what I expected to hear. At all."

Sarah shrugged, though Toby could only see slight movement because of the size of his mirror. "Yeah. Strange, huh? Anyway, I was hoping that maybe you could come down for it? 'Cause I'm not sure if Jareth is letting Hoggle, Sir Didymus, and Ludo come. I don't know anything he's doing. I don't even know what my dress looks like. It's just been him in a closed room doing who knows what! Please come."

"Sarah, it's only be three days since you two visited. How can a wedding be planned that fast? Nevermind. I don't think I want to know. Let's see, it'll be a Wednesday. I've got to be in school for a chem test, but if it's in the evening/late afternoon, I don't see why not." He laughed. "Still. You getting married tomorrow only three days after you were here for a visit. What did you do to make him want to have the wedding so soon?"

"You think I'd know?!" Sarah sounded annoyed. "It's been a bizarre few days. I'm sure Lais will help you out with the getting down to the Underground. I should go before Irene comes in to ask who you're talking to."

"Alright. See you tomorrow."

"Bye."

Toby turned away from the mirror, shaking his head. "Sorry about that, Lais. Family must come first, however."

The little goblin nodded. "Quite agreed, sir. Especially when that family is of the Royal House."

"Now, what were you telling me about? Oh, right! The Bog of Stench?" Toby looked at his tutor expectantly.

Lais rubbed his hands together. "Ah, yes. The Bog. It is the dreamland for a dog and perhaps some little boys. It is full of pockets of mud and dirty streams. The air is foul with the stench of who knows what. It is the most horrible thing ever smelt by a nose, mortal and immortal alike. Never touch the water. If you do, the stench will live on you forever. Do what you like; burn the clothing, wash yourself, nothing will remove that stench."

Toby's nose wrinkled almost involuntarily. "Then what is the purpose of of such a place?"

"Does it need to have a purpose?" Lais asked. "Or can it just exist for the sake of existing? His Majesty, the Goblin King, uses it as a place of punishment. The only known person with the ability to withstand the smell of the Bog is a Dog-fox named Sir Didiymus. We are unsure why this is so, however. It could be his nose doesn't function at the normal level of a Dog-fox's higher capability or at all, or he grew used to the smell in his long tendre as the guard of the bridge. That bridge in the Bog has fallen now. Sir Didymus is a wandering knight-errant once more."

"So, the Bog has no other use besides a place of punishment?"

"Well, actually, it does serve once other purpose. There are some in the world who seem to need Bog mud for something. There are even some who seem to like the smell, Jareth forbid! Guess it proves the Goblin Kingdom as the Crossroad of Worlds."

"What do you mean? How can Labyrinth be a 'crossroad of worlds'? Isn't there only one world?"

"Oh, no my boy," Lais shook his head. "That is another thing you need to learn about magic. If only because of its existence, magic has fueled the creation of many worlds, parallel or otherwise. Sometimes the creator is human, sometimes not. The Underground is a common ground, however. It is there that the veil between the worlds can be crossed, sometimes even lifted, though that is not a good idea. The Goblin King deals with these worlds, it is part of his magic. He keeps them from collapsing in on each other, from confusing one reality for another. People from these worlds often use the Underground as a waystation between worlds. Sometimes they come to consult with the Goblin King. Other times, they need something we possess in our world that is not in theirs. Like the Bog of Stench. Thankfully, there is only one of it in all the worlds."

"So, the Underground isn't just under the Earth? There is only one Aboveground, though?" Toby was trying to wrap his head around this idea. He was beginning to discover that there was more to this magic stuff then he had guessed.

"Well," Lais looked as thoughtful as a goblin could look. "really anywhere besides Labyrinth and the Underground is the Aboveground to us. Jareth, however, seems to think differently. To him, his homeworld, Earth, is Aboveground. All the other worlds are just that, other worlds with their names. He never refers to Earth by name. I think it hurts him. Therefore, he calls it Aboveground."

"Huh. Alright then. Now," Toby said. "can you explain how I can travel between Labyrinth and here?"


	15. Chapter 15

Jareth leant back, his black boot-shod feet crossed atop his desk. He hardly used his desk for what it was. He had some different uses in mind for it. But at the moment, he needed to use it as it was meant to be used. A pile of papers lay in the center of the desk. Normally he wouldn't care about the paperwork that an event like his wedding would entail, but he didn't want any problems. Every little detail had been accounted for. There was nothing that could call off this wedding.

Sarah couldn't cry off, though he highly doubted she would. She was the one who needed the actual marriage; he could care less himself. All the paperwork for a normal Goblin marriage had been completed quite easily. It was the ceremony and the act of a somewhat human wedding that had been giving him grief. He finally finished all the arrangements this afternoon. It had been a close call. He had wanted to get married in the morning; and so he shall.

All the guests had been invited, though some he was not happy to have there. He only invited them because he knew it would make Sarah happy. What had she done to him, this wide-eyed innocent (well, somewhat innocent) human girl? He was a great King, a powerful magician. There should be no magic that could make him act this way. The Upperworld's God knew that. In fact, one of the widowed Queens of another world had tried to bewitch him into marrying her. He couldn't afford to join his power with anyone who ruled another world. It would throw off the balance he tried so hard to keep in check.

It was an odd thought, the Goblin King caring for something other than himself. Sarah would be surprised to learn how much he really thought about himself. It might seem to an outside observer that all the Goblin King did was amuse himself. That was a perk of being a lord of almost ultimate power and control. He could use that power any way he saw fit when it came to his comforts. For he had one of the hardest jobs in the known worlds. The power keep him happy though. He never thought anything else would come close. Then Sarah arrived.

He shook his head, dropping his feet to the ground. He was sounding like some sentimental old fool. He was old, but he was no fool nor was he sentimental. Face it, half of his happiness was just wanting to get her into his bed again. Stupid honorable human customs. If it weren't for them…

He shook his head again. Come morning, the Goblin King would be a married man. That was a strange thought, a strange feeling. Even stranger was the knowledge that soon, he wouldn't even be King. Then he could be truly selfish. That he couldn't wait for almost as much as the wedding.

Jareth rose to his feet and crossed the room to a freestanding mirror. Glare from the setting sun glanced off the mirror's reflective surface. Emitting an irritated growl, he made a sharp gesture with his right hand. The black curtain behind him flew across the window, blocking any rays from entering the room. This was the real reason he used this room for many an important work. He snapped his fingers and something shot out of a desk drawer into his beckoning hand.

He uncurled his fingers to reveal a braided ring of hair. Though not required for his level of magic, it helped to have something physical of the person he wished to see. He curled his fingers back around the braided ring. He stared directly into the heart of the mirror, not saying a word. After a moment, the surface of the mirror swirled a mixture of grey and silver. When the surface cleared, Sarah was visible in the mirror. She was sitting in her room, back toward her mirror.

He had used this to watch her and her brother grow in their human world. She had grown more beautiful every day he looked at her in the mirror. Now was no different. Her curtains hung open, softly moving in the slight breeze that came from a partially open window. Rays of setting sunlight, multifaceted from the panes of glass, played on her long, brown hair. It flared and shimmered, turning mere hair into something strangely gorgeous, spun amber. It was hard to believe she was human. Of course, the marriage ceremony would change that. By joining her future life with his, the magic of the Labyrinth would extend her life span, keep her the age of thirty for the duration of that new life span. He watched the sunlight dance upon her hair for a few more minutes, just enjoying the show.

Jareth twitched a finger and the angle of view changed. Her oval face was now shown in the mirror, eyes closed, lashes brushing her cheekbones. He could guess what she was thinking about. He stroked the mirror's surface, finger running down the line of her face. "Soon, my love. Come morning, all will be right in our world. So soon, the sun sets now. Soon."

Sarah gave a small shudder, raising a hand to her cheek. Shaking her head, she closed the window and slipped off the ledge she had been sitting on. It had taken her a bit of time to grow used to the Labyrinth's time scale. Besides a day being thirteen hours long, there was this strange twilight period of yellow light with both a sun and a moon in the sky that lasted for several hours. It was lucky that a Labyrinth day was twelve hours behind an Earth day or Toby would never make it to the wedding. She wasn't sure if she could go through with it if her brother wasn't there.

It wasn't like she was having second thoughts or anything, but sometimes it was hard living in the Underground. Unlike Jareth, who had jumped at the chance to learn and use magic, Sarah didn't have that chance. It was probably because the Labyrinth already had a ruler firmly in charge once again. Maybe that feeling of discomfort or loneliness would change after the wedding. The question was, would being the official Queen make the Underground better or worse for her? Would Jareth have more time for her? Or would it end up being like the past three days where he hardly came out of his office?

She shook her head again. She had to admit she loved the man. So, let come what may. She also hadn't had a good word duel it awhile. It made her angry. At least, she hoped that was what was making her angry. And not the fact that she kept imagining the wedding night. If the throne room had been good, this, by all rights, should be even better. "Such a dirty mind," she said aloud to the empty room. "Shouldn't have such before a wedding. Or they're perfect thoughts to have." Now she was even talking to herself. Go figure.

Jareth smiled, white teeth flashing in a wolf-like grin. He knew it. He was on the side that the thoughts were of the perfect kind. He shared those thoughts and had been thinking that way for longer than she had. "Perfect thoughts indeed."


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Note: Hey guys. I added a few paragraphs to chapter 15 and combined a few others. Sorry to take so long.**

**

* * *

  
**

"Oh no you don't!" Toby heard Sarah's voice as clear as if she was yelling in his ear and she was all the way down the hall. He had arrived about forty-five minutes ago with Lais' help after a few false starts."No, Jareth. Get out! No, out, now!" Toby watched, trying not to laugh when Sarah's door burst open and a very bemused Goblin King stumbled out.

He brushed down his shirt, making a slight face. He glanced down the hall and acknowledged Toby with a nod before walking toward his Heir. "Don't tell me, another stupid human tradition. Should have just stuck to a Goblin marriage, but no. I had to get fancy to make sure she didn't feel like she was missing out on a human wedding. Curse it all!"

This speech tipped Toby over the edge. He couldn't control his laughter anymore.

Jareth threw his hands into the air dramatically. "Williams! Never show any respect. If anyone deserves your respect, nay, demands your complete obedience, it would be me. But no, you cast judgment everywhere."

It took Toby a few tries before he could speak properly. "I'm sorry Jareth, but what did you expect? What made you think today would be different? You're just gonna have to curb horniness until after the ceremony."

"Don't forget that ball. Not as important, but we still have to at least make an appearance," Jareth said, almost sounding forlorn. Then his tone changed completely. "Shouldn't you be defending Sarah's honor? It's not like I'm complaining or anything, but I don't want my idea of human behavior shatter either. Or does the honor thing only apply to older brothers with younger sisters?"

Toby shrugged. "Guess it depends. Besides, I think Sarah would kill me if she caught me trying to defend her honor rather than thank me for it. She is perfectly capable of taking care of herself. I think she's proved that to you already, hasn't she? But if you prefer," With a swiftness Jareth didn't think possible for the gawky kid, Toby slammed the Goblin King into the hallway wall, pinning him to the rough stone with his shoulder. Jareth's eyes grew wide with confusion. He had been joking. "Of course, you'll probably just blast me off with magic in a moment. Nor do threats about harming Sarah's virtue matter now since you're getting married in what, an hour. But if you hurt her, I'll find a way to hurt you back." Suddenly Toby grinned and stepped back, releasing Jareth. "Now, wasn't that fun?"

"Remind me not to get on your bad side Lais has taught you what you need to know," was all Jareth said.

Sarah slammed the door with a very satisfying thud. "He never lets up!" she said, flopping in the chair that sat by the window. She really wanted to just flop down on the bed and stare at the ceiling, but she would have destroyed the wedding dress Jareth had created and laid out for her if she had. She saw this whole wedding thing as something else to go through before her life could actually start. She had been living in a sort-of limbo, where she was part of the human world while another part of her dreamed for the Underground. Now she was here and it wasn't exactly what she had dreamt about. She guessed half of it came from the fact that Jareth had been so busy with this damn wedding that he hadn't spent much time with her. Hopefully that would change. She leant her head on the arm of the chair, looking down at the dress on the bed.

It was more a creation than a dress, in her opinion anyway. At first glance, it resembled the white renaissance fair style dress she had worn when Jareth first saw her in the park. This dress was much fancier than that though. The bodice was made entirely of lace with off-the-shoulder bell sleeves and a completely open back. Lace trimmed the edge of her sleeves and the hem of the skirt as well. The skirt wasn't the puffy ball-gown she had been expecting; she guessed he had realized she had grown out of that at least. Instead, it was a straight skirt to the ankle with a long train. The only concession to a ball-gown was the split overskirt that draped halfway across the skirt. The silver and white gown would have looked more at home in a high fashion magazine rather than on Sarah herself.

She stared at it for a few more minutes, almost forgetting about the waist-length veil also trimmed with lace that went with the wedding dress. "How does he come up with these designs?" she muttered. Sarah slipped off the chair and walked over to her bed. She fingered the smooth cloth with a gentle hand. "Why bother when he's probably just gonna destroy it tonight? Although, nah." She shook her head with a slight smile at the thought.


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Note: Sorry to take awhile to update and even finish this thing. Not long til the end now. I went back over this thing and combined a few chapters together. Nothing about the story changed except the combination of chapters and there were a few paragraphs added on to chapter 15. Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

**

Toby glanced around the nearly empty meeting room. It was near the castle tower with huge windows that over looked the expanse of Labyrinth Sarah had encountered in her first visit. Once again he wondered if the Underground had a religion, unless worshipping Jareth was the religion. It was just strange that they were having the ceremony in a meeting room rather than a church, but then again, it was akin to getting married in the Court House back home. He glanced down to his side. Hoggle was toying with his plastic bead bracelet. Ludo and Sir Didymus stood on the other side of the white aisle carpet Jareth had created.

Aside from the Goblin King and Lais, who was reading the rites, the room was empty of the normal wedding stereotypes of huge crowds and decorations. Toby was just glad he gave Jareth the shorter rites usually used for Hollywood projects rather than the entire ceremony when asked for it. He didn't think any of them would have wanted to sit, or rather stand, through anything that long. He had, however, given Jareth the traditional wedding march music which ghostly started up at that moment.

The double wooden doors opened and Sarah came into the room. She smiled as everyone turned to look at her. This was the best audience she could have had in her opinion. Toby had offered to walk her down the aisle, but she had just laughed. "Thanks Toby, but I'm quite capable of walking a short way by myself," she had said, still laughing. "Besides, we don't want Jareth to get confused. Not any more then he already is about human customs." Toby had simply shrugged in reply. He didn't think Jareth was as confused as he seemed to be.

Sarah pushed the doors shut behind her and then walked down the strip of carpet to Jareth. He took her hand, whispering, "I can already think of a way that dress would look better." She glanced at him with mischief in her eyes. "Well, you're just gonna have to wait until _your_ wedding plans are finished for that," she replied just as softly.

Lais coughed and the two snapped to attention. "Now we shall proceed," the goblin said, looking down at the paper Toby had printed out. "Ah, let's see. We are here to join Sarah and Jareth in holy (what's this wo—oh) matrimony. Before we continue, does anyone have any objections to this union?"

Jareth turned his head and glared at the four standing behind him. Toby and Sir Didymus merely smiled while Hoggle looked down at the stone floor, a pained expression on his face. Ludo just stood there watching. Lais continued, "Alright then. Jareth, repeat after me. 'I, Jareth, take thee, Sarah…"

Jareth finished, "…to love and cherish; from this day forward till death do us part." Not that that would happen. Immortality was part of the deal as the siblings would soon learn. He felt silly saying these things especially in front of this crew. But it was for Sarah and besides he could always threaten them into silence. But still, even if it was for Sarah, how could humans stand to repeat this sentimental drivel to each other? Who really believed these vows were the right thing to cement a relationship with? There were much better ways of showing love than these stupid vows. Less silly sentimental crap than this. He could think of several things right now. But then again, those were probably not the best to display in public and that was the entire point of this ceremony; a public affirmation of the love he and Sarah felt for each other. He decided right then and there that he hated weddings.

Lais turned his attention to Sarah. "Sarah, your turn. Now, 'I, Sarah, take…" The goblin was cut off as the wooden double doors burst open. Everyone jumped and whirled to face the figure hobbling into the room.

"Who dares disturb…" Jareth began but paused when Sarah put a hand on his arm. He glanced at her and she shook her head slightly. Despite the fact that this was supposed to be the happiest day of her life and nothing was allowed to go wrong, Sarah seemed very calm about this interruption. "Who are you?" she asked the figure who had stopped in the middle of the room.

He coughed. It was the kinda senile (and some said crazy) old man who wore a reddish bird with a real long neck as a hat. "I'm truly sorry, your Majesty. I tried to get to see and tell you earlier. But you can not be married yet. Sarah had not been tested and accepted by the Labyrinth!"

"Wait a minute here," Sarah said, stepping forward with her hands on her hips. "What about the false Queen? Hell, what about the fact that I navigated the Labyrinth to get Toby back all those years ago?"

"Well, that first one was the Labyrinth recognizing you and accepting you as a potential mate for our king. It was almost more a test for Jareth to see if he would ask for your help. As for the second, again that was more Jareth's doing than the Labyrinth's. You must impress the Core," the old man replied. The bird hat added, "Need to take the Queen trail."

"Great," Sarah turned her back on the old man and looked at Jareth. "I'm blaming this on you. I told you that whole thing was too easy!" The rest of the word became a high-pitched scream as Sarah disappeared into the floor.

"Sarah!" Everyone in the room shouted and rushed toward Jareth and Lais. "Jareth," Toby said. "What the hell just happened? Where'd Sarah go? For that matter, where'd that old man go? Will she be okay?"

Jareth placed a hand on Toby's shoulder. "I hope so, kid," he said, answering the last question first. "She's the only to beat my Labyrinth so she should be able to impress the Labyrinth's Core. I am not allowed to interfere. I'm not even sure if I could reach her. The Core is what gives me my power so it is the only thing that can block me. All we can do is wait and see. Damn it, this completely pushes my evening plans behind schedule." He got a thoughtful look in his eye. "Though, it might be worth it. Near death experience and all that." Toby just sighed and shook his head.


End file.
